


everything falls into place

by happybynana



Category: NCT (Band), NCT Dream
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Boyfriends, Developing Relationship, Fluff, Fluffy Ending, How Do I Tag, I Will Go Down With This Ship, Light Angst, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-31
Updated: 2018-08-13
Packaged: 2019-06-19 15:10:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 14,211
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15512559
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/happybynana/pseuds/happybynana
Summary: Jisung is an aspiring dancer living off of any money he can find, while working two jobs and paying all the bills on his own. When the mysterious boy arrives at school, everything just seems to fall into place.





	1. working it out

**Author's Note:**

> i woke up in the middle of the night because i came up with this idea. yeah.

“Gosh, what was in  _ your  _ cereal this morning, Sung?” Jaemin eyed the boy. 

Jisung had walked into school, shoes untied and hair disheveled, five minutes before the first bell. 

“Absolutely nothing,” as if on cue, Jisung’s stomach growled. 

Donghyuck and Mark were sitting with Jaemin across from Jisung’s locker, watching the boy struggle to open his locker with equally unamused faces. 

Mark chucked a granola bar at Jisung, hitting him in the head. He winced, before picking it up with confusion.

“I was saving that for later, but you need it more than me. Eat up.” 

Jisung knew he couldn’t refuse to the three stern friends (or mothers?) across from him, so he opened the bar and took a huge bite out of it, making a mental note to buy Mark a new one later. 

 

Jisung wasn’t stressed, not at all. He  _ totally  _ didn’t have 3 huge tests coming up that he hadn’t started studying for. He  _ totally  _ didn’t just bomb the science quiz that he didn’t even remember hearing about. He  _ totally  _ didn’t forget to pack an actual lunch. A banana and some granola bars went a far way, however. 

Even as he sat by his three best friends, he felt distant from the conversation. Maybe it was the smell of the fresh hamburgers the cooks were cooking; the  _ actually _ edible and delicious ones. Maybe it was two boys from three tables away that wouldn’t stop staring in their direction. They always were either just staring or feeding and doing gross coupley stuff with each other. Jisung knew who they were, but he’d never actually talked to them before. Human interaction? He had enough with the three idiots by him. 

The three idiots were snapping their fingers in front of Jisung, trying to get him out of his daydream. 

“Jeez, Sung, you’re  _ really _ out of it today,” remarked Donghyuck, glancing between Jisung’s eyes and tilting his head to the left with a raised eyebrow. 

“Are you okay?” asked a concerned Jaemin from beside him, eyeing the bland banana and granola bars Jisung was subconsciously picking at. 

Jisung just threw a small smile. “Yeah, I’m fine. Just tired. I need to figure out how I’ll pay for next year, though.” he could feel the three gazes deepening on him. “I’ve been asking for extra shifts at the bakery, but then I usually have to ask for later shifts at the flower shop. Who needs flowers that late, anyways?” 

Donghyuck gave a condescending look to him. “Sung, you  _ know _ we’re always here to help you…” 

“You can always take some money from us. It’s not a big deal,” added Jaemin. 

But Jisung knew it was a big deal. Taking money from his best friends would put him forever in debt. Plus, it would make them look down on him even more, as if they didn’t enough already. They babied him mercily every day, could he afford to bother them any more? 

He had zoned out again in his thoughts, and was brought back by Mark’s snapping. And that’s when it happened. One second it wasn’t there, the next it was. 

Jisung didn’t know where the hamburger came from, honestly. He swung immediately towards the person that had placed it by him, but was only met with the stranger’s back, walking away at a quick pace. Jisung slowly turned his head back towards his friends, eyeing them, demanding to know which one of them put the random boy up to it. 

Jaemin raised his hands, eyes wide. “It wasn’t me, I swear! I’ve never seen that kid any day of my life!” 

“I didn’t either, but just eat it,” Donghyuck’s honey voice soothingly pressured Jisung to take a big bite of the savory burger. 

“That was the new kid, I think,” stated Mark after watching the boy leave the cafeteria. “He’s from China, or something. Just came today.” 

Jaemin snorted. “Was he  _ that  _ repulsed by our hot meals already?”

“Can’t blame him,” said Jisung, through a mouthful of hamburger. “Too bad he got rid of the only good meal they serve.”

 

It kept happening everyday. The strange boy kept leaving food for Jisung  _ everyday _ . He started leaving homemade sandwiches, fruits, and the like. Jisung was confused. He was more than confused. The boy would set it down without a sound and then zoom out of the room. Jisung saw the side of his face one day. The boy had an even complexion, and well defined cheekbones that perfectly complimented his brown hair. Jisung wasn’t saying he was cute. He just had not bad features. That was all. 

Normally in a boy situation, Jaemin, Donghyuck, and Mark would’ve started teasing Jisung relentlessly about the boy that kept leaving lunch for him. But they knew it was a sticky subject, and they kept quiet about it. It didn’t stop Jisung from overthinking the situation to no end, however. 

Why would the boy leave food everyday? Did he think Jisung was incapable of providing from himself? Did he think that leaving food made him friends? 

The boy was in Jisung’s math class, Jisung had learned. He hadn’t actually realized it until the third day of the weird boy’s arrival. He noticed that the boy didn’t talk much; he only talked directly to the teacher in private, otherwise sticking his head down into the homework or a book. Jisung found himself watching the boy go about during that one class, scowling to himself. Did the boy think he could just  _ lure  _ Jisung through food? To him, the idea that the boy kept leaving food for him was almost repulsing. He would admit, though, the food  _ was  _ excellent. Jisung just figured: it was one less meal that he had to pay for, so he’d finish it all. It was sensible. 

 

But two weeks later, Jisung was ready to snap. He had rushed to his tiny apartment that was probably breaking in several areas to see  _ it. _ A golden-packaged present was in his mailbox. Jisung was ready to throw it away at that instant, until he realized he had to be at the bakery in  _ twelve  _ minutes instead of forteen. Stupid present, taking his precious changing time. 

Jisung forgot about the present completely until he was home at 10:00 in the evening. He was tired and  _ not  _ in the mood. A customer at the bakery was complaining about how one cupcake had more frosting than the other, to which Jisung had to explain that each cupcake was different and it  _ wasn’t  _ any difference in the amount of calories it gave. (He didn’t actually explain the second part, although he greatly wanted to.) Then, to top it off, his coworker at the flower shop had  _ dropped  _ a vase with water and flowers already in it, and he forced Jisung to clean up the whole mess, claiming that there was a piece of glass stuck in his foot. Jisung would’ve  _ loved  _ to make glass actually stuck in the man’s foot. To top it even more off, it had started raining on Jisung’s walk home, and Jisung didn’t have an umbrella. 

Shivering, soaking, and probably infected with a cold, Jisung trudged into his freezing apartment, desperate to just take a shower. It would probably have to be a cold shower, because hot showers were  _ so  _ expensive, but Jisung was willing to risk anything to get the sticky clothes off him. 

After showering and changing into warm clothes he had ‘borrowed’ from Jaemin and just hadn’t gotten around to giving back, Jisung flopped on his stomach onto his bed, ready to start his homework and sleep. That’s when he landed straight onto the perfectly wrapped present. It was small, only the size of Jisung’s hand, but some part of Jisung still wanted to chuck it out the window. 

He was ready to convince himself that the present wasn’t  _ actually _ for him, because who in their right mind would send  _ him  _ a present? But when he looked closely, his name was neatly written in the corner.  _ Too  _ neat to be a native Korean. 

Jisung tipped his head to the right and narrowed his eyes at the package, as if trying to have a staring contest with it. 

He eventually decided to just open it, which he regretted instantly. Under the wrapping paper was a packaged iPhone X. An  _ iPhone X,  _ the newest phone release, the phone that only rich people could afford. Jisung wanted to laugh and drown it in water. His pride was hurt, to say the least. Who thought that Jisung was too broke to afford anything other than his ‘fancy’ iPhone 5s? Whoever it was wasn’t wrong, but who in their right mind would ship a brand new phone to  _ Jisung _ ? So Jisung did the most reasonable thing he could think of at 10:20 at night. 

He called Jaemin. 

_ “What do you want, Sung? I’m doing math homework.” _

“Was it you?”

_ “Was what me?” _

“Did you send me the phone?” 

There was a little static on the line, signaling that Jaemin had sat up and was now fully attentive.  _ “Wait, Sung, someone sent you a  _ phone _?” _

“Sadly. It’s a freaking  _ iPhone X _ , too. I don’t know what to do. Do you want a new phone?”

_ “Oh my god, Sung, no. I already have a perfectly good one.”  _ Jaemin cleared his throat, either in annoyance or… just annoyance.  _ “How about this? You get rid of your crappy phone and start using the new one.” _

“But-”

_ “Look. It was already sent to you, there was obviously plenty of time for the sender to think it through. In other words, the sender isn’t stupid and wants you to have the phone. So make the sender happy and just USE IT. It won’t hurt anyone.” _

“...” Jisung eyed up the phone in front of him, a mental debate taking place in his head. “I guess I will, no matter how much it pains me to do so.”

_ “Shut up, I know you’re fangirling in your brain right now. Tell your stupid pride to shut up and just start using the dang thing. It’s really not that complex.” _

“Alright, thank you, Nana.”

_ “Great! I’ll see you tomorrow, don’t forget to bring your new phone so we can take actually good photos!” _

Jisung shortly chuckled at his best friend’s dumb ways of cheering him up. They worked, though. “Okay, see you tomorrow.” 

_ “Good night, sleep well, I love you!” _

“I love you too.” And the call was disconnected. 

Jisung forced himself to finish all his homework, before finally picking up his new phone at midnight. 

 

The next morning, Jisung was more exhausted than normal, but he was excited. He had his brand new phone in his hand. His pride was still a little swollen, but after Jaemin pep talked him he was more confident about the new item. 

He slumped down next to Mark and Donghyuck while they cooed over the new phone, taking dumb selfies on it.

Jaemin rushed in a few minutes later, eyes wide and a grin gleaming. “Guys, you will  _ not  _ believe what just happened to me.”

Jisung was the only one to actually give him a response, by tilting his head to the older boy, as if telling him to continue. 

“So you know how I’ve always had a crush on,” his voice got hushed. “Lee Jeno, right?” 

Donghyuck didn’t even look up from Jisung’s phone, he just rolled his eyes. “The boy you’ve been pining after since, like,  _ forever _ ?”

“Yes, and guess what happened! So you know his boyfriend, Injoon?” That earned Jaemin three sympathetic eyes on him. The couple had been dating for nearly three years, and Jaemin had been helplessly in love with Jeno since the first day.  _ Everyone _ knew Injoon and Jeno were a couple, a no one dared to mess with either of them. Jeno was intimidating until he smiled, and Injoon looked sweet until he got angry. Then he was just plain scary. The whole school knew that they were a pair; you didn’t see Jeno without Injoon and Injoon without Jeno. 

Jaemin just huffed and gave his typical pout. “ _ So _ , I was walking past them and I made eye contact with Injoon and it just hit me. I never realized he was so  _ cute _ !”

“But what about Jeno?” asked Mark, out of pure confusion. “You’re, like, smitten for him.” 

“I can like two people, that’s a thing! I was reading  _ all  _ about it last night, it’s called a polyamorous relationship. Polyamory is defined as loving more than one.” 

Jisung nearly choked on the granola bar he was eating. “Wait, so you want to date  _ both  _ of them?” 

Jaemin stood his ground, not even letting the possible judgement get to him. “Yup, I do. I like both of them equally and I want to kiss both of them equally and-”

“We get it, okay Nana?” whispered Donghyuck with a small smile. “We’ll always support you, you know that. Just be careful, I don’t want you getting hurt by either of them.” he nuzzled into Jaemin’s side, letting the cuddly side of both of them take over. 

“So, Sung,” asked Mark, lightly nudging his side. “Do you know who this is from?” he waved the phone in his hand. 

“Nope,” replied Jisung, popping the ‘p’. “But Jaemin-”

“I told him he’s keeping it because it’s obviously a gift and there’s no returns. So he’s keeping it.” The words ‘he’s too poor and he really needs the phone’ were left unspoken. 

 

Everything was silent and normal for the next few weeks. The strange boy still dropped off a lunch for Jisung daily, to which Jisung kept putting off saying thank you, and nothing special showed up in the mail. 

Jisung wouldn’t say he  _ overworked  _ himself. He loved the bakery with all his heart, and the treats that he was allowed to eat during his break made him happy. The flower shop wasn’t that stressful, besides when a bee would fly in. Those days included screaming customers and a flyswatter. 

Jisung, however, wouldn’t say that the two jobs were his first two choices. Jisung  _ really _ loved dancing. He danced in his living room. He danced while walking to work. He danced when there were no customers. Whenever he passed the dance building down the street from the bakery, Jisung would always stop and wistfully stare at inside, with the hopes and dreams of one day being able to dance in an actual studio. He never went in. The classes were just too expensive.

But after a few uneventful weeks, life sprang up at him again. Jisung was sweeping the floor of the bakery after school, and the owner suddenly walked in. The owner was the popular Jung Jaehyun, who Jisung actually looked up to. The man was, in the non-creepiest way, the most beautiful human Jisung had ever seen in his entire life. He was fresh out of college (and sadly, taken), but still was very successful. Jisung  _ wanted  _ to be him.

“Park Jisung?” the man asked while bowing politely. His lips were slightly curved upwards. “I’m Jung Jaehyun, the-”

“The owner,” Jisung spluttered, bowing low, with his cheeks tinted pink. “And yes, I’m Jisung.”

“Great. I came to talk to you about something.” In that moment, Jisung thought he was being fired. Thoughts were running through his mind at incredible speeds. 

“Don’t be worried, it’s nothing bad.” Jaehyun let out a light chuckle, smiling so Jisung could see his teeth. Jisung couldn’t help but think that the man in front of him was an actual angel, because how could someone’s teeth be  _ that _ white? Jisung nervously chewed on his lower lip, waiting for the news to be delivered. 

“I’ve noticed you’ve been working extra shifts and hours lately… is everything okay? I asked around, and I know you also work at the flower shop.” Jaehyun paused, giving Jisung a chance to explain himself. 

“Ah, yes… I have to afford my apartment, so I got as many jobs as possible.” 

At those words, Jaehyun’s face became unreadable, and his brows scrunched together. Jisung hoped he wasn’t judging him, but it was probably too late. 

Jaehyun could tell that the situation was much deeper than what Jisung was letting off, so he decided to take the safe route. “Jisung, we’re closing the shop early. It’s a Friday, and I know you don’t work later.”

Jisung eventually got the courage to ask, “Where are we going?” a few minutes after Jaehyun locked the doors. He was following Jaehyun, who seemed like he knew where he was headed off to. They stopped in front of the dance building. 

“The man that owns this studio, Lee Taeyong, he’s my boyfriend,” explained Jaehyun. “He’s noticed you peeking in, and he wants to meet you.” 

Jisung took a few steps backwards in surprise. “I wasn’t doing anything bad, I promise! I’m just really interested in dance and I’ve always wanted to see what a practice room actually looks like and-”

“Relax, Jisung.” chuckled Jaehyun, his eyes turning into little crescents. “He’s not mad at you. He wants to meet you for different reasons. Don’t worry, it’s nothing bad.” With that, Jaehyun pushed open the glass doors and directed Jisung to follow. 

They walked in silence for a little bit, until Jaehyun opened a door that read ‘Practice Room E’. Jisung was more than astonished by the sight. The floors looked so  _ shiny _ and new, and the mirrors glistened off the bright sun coming in from the windows. 

Jaehyun had walked up to the pink haired boy and planted a soft kiss on his lips, while Jisung’s jaw dropped as he examined the room. 

“Jisung,” Jaehyun was hand-in-hand with his boyfriend. “This is Taeyong, my boyfriend.”

Taeyong was more cheerful than Jisung thought he would be. “Hello, Jisung! I’m Lee Taeyong. I hope we didn’t frighten you or anything, we didn’t mean to! Honestly, the first time I saw you, I just  _ knew  _ you’re dancer material.” Taeyong threw his arm around Jisung, leading him towards a stereo in the corner. “Oh yeah, sorry if I smell bad, I just finished two classes! Now, pick a song.”

Jisung blanked. “A song?”

“Yes, silly. I want to see what you can do.” 

Jisung ended up choosing a Chris Brown song that he liked to dance to around his apartment. It was awkward at first, but he eventually got into a trance, forgetting all about the two men watching him. 

Before he even realized it, the song was over. Jisung’s light pants filled the room, and he shrinked into a thin line again. Taeyong and Jaehyun had different reactions. As soon as the song ended, the two erupted in claps. 

“Jisung, you’re  _ really _ talented! You have tons of potential, with proper training,” gushed Taeyong, who almost seemed more excited than Jisung. Jisung just blushed and nodded in thanks, keeping his head lower than normal. 

“What’s wrong?” asked the curious dance teacher, his face softening into a concerned gaze. 

“I...I don’t really have the money to afford this,” confessed Jisung. “I have to pay rent every month, and I have to start getting money ready to afford tuition for next year.”

Both Taeyong and Jaehyun’s eyes widened in realization and sadness. 

“Wait, I didn’t tell you earlier?” Taeyong enthusiastically grinned. “Classes would be completely free.”

“Are you sure?” Jisung was more than shocked.  _ Lee Taeyong _ , who the whole town knew of, was offering  _ him  _ of all people lessons for free? People surely wouldn’t be happy to hear that. Jisung, for a split second, let the thought that Taeyong was just pitying him slip into his brain. 

But Taeyong changed that in a matter of seconds. “Yes, 100%. You have serious talent, you could go  _ far  _ with a little help.”

Jisung couldn’t help the smile that grew rapidly on those words. He hadn’t been that happy in a while. Maybe it was the excitement of dancing in the room again, or maybe it was the feeling of being  _ wanted _ . Whatever it was, Jisung liked it.

As Jisung was about to leave after talking for around 20 minutes, Jaehyun stopped him. “Hey, Jisung? You know, if you ever need anything, Taeyong and I are more than happy to help.”

“Thanks hyung.” the smile still hadn’t worn off. “I’ll see you tomorrow!”

 

When Jisung arrived home, he was happy for two reasons. One, he could call himself a dancer now, and two, he had got home at eight at night, which was more than great compared to his normal schedule. Jisung and Taeyong had made a schedule so he could fit everything in. On school days, he’d go to the studio at six in the morning and dance with Taeyong for an hour. Then, he’d get ready for school. It worked out perfectly, because Jisung still could keep his two jobs that took place after school. Jisung knew Taeyong would be waking up earlier than he normally did, which poked at his conscience for a few hours, but he asked Jaehyun, who told him that Taeyong was up at all hours, so it wasn’t any difference. 

He didn’t even realize there was another gold packaged present under his mail until he threw it on the counter. But Jisung soon discovered it wasn’t a package, it was a gold envelope. Jisung was more than confused. 

He carefully opened the package to reveal a note on top of other things. The note, in squeaky neat Korean, read ‘ _ For your tuition next year, Jisung. _ ’ Underneath the note was…  _ more  _ than enough money. Jisung’s jaw dropped with every bill he counted. Who would have this much money, and  _ why  _ would they be giving it to Jisung? 

So Jisung did the most reasonable thing he could think of. He called Jaemin. 

_ “What do you want, hoe? Wow, it’s early, no work tonight?” _

“Not at the flower shop, just the bakery. Actually, something great happened tonight!” 

_ “Did you get a boyfriend?” _

“No.”

_ “Was there a cute kitten on the side of the road? Or a dog? Wait, are you into dogs or cats?” _

“No, and both.”

Jaemin sighed into the phone.  _ “Then what is it?” _

“So you know Jung Jaehyun and Lee Taeyong?”

_ “I wasn’t born under a rock, of  _ course  _ I know who they are! Wait, did you meet them? Oh my gosh, spill-” _

“Yes, I met both of them. Jaehyun owns the bakery and Taeyong owns the dance studio down the street.” a faint ‘oh my god’ was heard from Jaemin. “You know how I’ve always loved dance? Well, guess who’s going to take dance lessons now?!”

_ “OH MY GOSH, SUNG! I’m so proud of you! I’m going to put a picture on the fridge, I’m so proud of my boy~”  _ Jaemin was  _ literally  _ cooing through the phone, but Jisung just smiled to himself.

“Okay, now I have a problem, also.”

_ “Spill!” _

“So...I got another gold present.”

_ “And?” _

“The person sent me… money. For my tuition.”

Jaemin didn’t even try to hide his gasp.  _ “Really? Are you going to use it?” _

“I don’t know if I should…”

_ “Well, Sung, you can’t exactly return it to the sender, right? I would just set it aside for now until tuition fees come around and then you can decide. You can also ask Jaehyun hyung for advice!” _

“Thanks, Nana, really… I don’t know where I’d be without you.”

_ “Will you introduce me to them? You know I LOVE them. Like, with all my heart. I would take a bullet for them. They’re so-” _

“Yes, Nana. I’ll introduce you. I’m going to shower now, okay?”

_ “Okay, make sure to put the money in a safe spot and a bank first thing in the morning!” _

“I will, thanks.” There was a slight pause of silence. “Hey Nana?”

_ “Yes, Sung?” _

“You know… I’m okay with the poly relationship stuff. I only care about your happiness, and if two people make you happy, then I’m okay with it.”

Jaemin just laughed.  _ “Sung, I’m not even dating them yet. I’m just hopelessly in love with both of them.” _

“Introduce them to me sometime?”

_ “Of course I will. Have a good night, okay? I love you!” _

“I love you too, Nana.”

 

Later that night, Jisung decided to count the money. His eyes widened in realization that the money could take him through the rest of high school  _ and  _ college in ease, with still extra money on the side. Jisung decided that whoever the person was, they were  _ loaded _ . 

 

The next week went by slowly, Jisung dancing before school and working after school. He had safely put all the money in the bank, not wanting to lose it. The weird boy was still leaving lunch for him every day. Jisung had learned new things about him. The boy didn’t seem to have any friends. Jisung hadn’t seen him interact with one person besides the teachers the whole  _ week _ . 

Jisung had brought Jaemin to the dance studio and introduced him to Jaehyun and Taeyong, to which Jaemin nearly fainted. That afternoon was spent laughing and playing around with random dances. Jisung, for once, didn’t feel stressed out to the max in his life. 

It all changed when the weird boy  _ sat  _ down next to him one day at lunch. It was a wordless exchange; the boy sat down and shoved the meal towards Jisung without even making eye contact. Mark, Donghyuck, and Jaemin all stayed quiet as they watched the boy, until Jaemin got fed up with the silence. 

“So, guys, I have news about my love life!” he exclaimed, clapping his hands together with a grin. The three heads took their attention off of the strange boy and placed it on Jaemin. “Jeno and Injoon invited me hang out this weekend!”   
“As a date?” asked the wide-eyed Donghyuck. 

Almost on cue, Jeno and Injoon walked past them. 

“Yup, it’s a date!” smiled Injoon as Jeno winked. 

Jaemin nearly started crying as his face turned beat red. The rest of the day, his grin was plastered on his face. It was like someone molded it on, with that someone being Jeno and Injoon. 

 

The rest of the week went by simply; the strange boy would sit down next to Jisung every day and push his lunch over to him. 

One day, however, Donghyuck and Mark had left to go argue in the gym, and Jaemin was waved over to Injoon and Jeno, leaving Jisung and the boy alone. He watched as the small boy ate and stared blankly the table in front of him, emotionless. 

Jisung decided to change the awkward silence, and he (attempted) to clear his throat. “I should’ve said this a while ago… but thanks for bringing me lunch. It means a lot.”

The strange boy almost  _ jumped  _ in shock. His eyes got owl wide and his lips parted a little before he muttered a small, “You’re welcome.” 

Feeling more confident, Jisung continued conversing. “I’m Park Jisung.”

“Zhong Chenle.” the shy boy muttered so quietly that Jisung almost didn’t hear him. 


	2. for the best

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I would never.”
> 
> “Promise?”
> 
> “Promise, Chenle.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so fun fact, this was actually supposed to be a oneshot originally. oops

Jisung decided not to tell his friends about his little… interaction with Chenle. He knew that there’d be endless teasing involved. But some part of him just wanted to keep Chenle for himself.

Jisung did admit that he was more tired and sore with the new dance practices added in his already busy schedule. But dancing was his passion; he wouldn’t give it up for anything in the world. Mark had commented on how much happier Jisung had gotten, and Jisung himself couldn’t deny it.

 

The next day, Chenle sat down next to him again. Jisung just whispered a tiny “thank you” and that was it. Even with the conversation his friends were having, Jisung couldn’t help but glance over at the Chinese boy sitting next to him, quietly eating and minding his own business.

“So, Sung, are you coming?” asked Donghyuck, snickering in his mind at the way Jisung snapped his head towards them.

“Um...to what?”  
“The football game tonight!” explained Mark excitedly. He was quite _obsessed_ to say the least, and he always forced Donghyuck to come with him. “It’s _state_ , you have to come.”

Jisung looked to the other boys for support, to which he got a shrug from Jaemin and a ‘you already know I have to go’ from Donghyuck.

“Sure, I guess I’ll go…”

Jaemin sprung from his seat immediately. “I need to invite Jeno and Injoon!” Jaemin wasn’t officially in a relationship with the two boys, but it sure seemed like it to Jisung. The three shamelessly flirted with each other at any chance they got. Mark and Donghyuck were in their own world, so Jisung took the opportunity.

“Chenle, are you going to the game tonight too?” he softly asked, trying not to scare the boy. It was a fail, because the boy clearly _jolted_ in his spot.

“I...don’t know.”

One other thing Jisung learned: Chenle didn’t like making eye contact unless he absolutely had to. It was strange.

“You should, it’s going to be fun! I’m going to be third wheeling all the couples, so it’d be great to have someone to hang out with. Only if you want to.” Jisung was ready for the blow of rejected as soon as Chenle opened his mouth to reply.

“Sure...I guess I’ll go,” Chenle replied. “But only if you stay by me the whole time. I’ve never been to a game before.”

Jisung held in his surprise. “Really? Well, don’t worry, I won’t leave your side.”

And to that, Chenle _smiled._

Jisung could only measly smile back before internally fangirling. Chenle’s smile was the _cutest_ thing Jisung had ever seen. His eyes had turned into little crescents and his pearly white teeth had been visible. Jisung wanted to take a picture of it and never stop looking at it.

Jisung couldn’t stop smiling for the rest of the school day.

 

Luckily, Jisung only had one shift at the bakery after school before the game. He didn’t normally go football games, because he found them incredibly boring, but he was going for certain reasons. One, Mark left him no choice. Two, he would get to spend the whole night with Chenle. Jisung didn’t know why he was nervous; it was just a game. Some part of him, deep down, knew why he was actually nervous.

When Chenle walked through the doors of the bakery, Jisung was more than surprised. He found himself straightening up as Chenle leaned against the counter, eyeing all the pastries behind the glass in front of him.

“Hey, Chenle, what can I get you?” Jisung asked quietly, trying to read which kinds Chenle was looking at.

“Um...I don’t know, I’ve never ate here before.” Chenle flashed a tiny smile up to Jisung. “Why don’t you just get me your favorite, and I’ll try it?”

“Okay.” Jisung didn’t even try to suppress his grin. “One cupcake coming right up!”

After Jisung _insisted_ that it was on the house, Chenle went and sat down in the seat at the back corner of the shop. Jisung was shocked; people usually didn’t sit there unless the whole place was cramped full and there were no other options. It wasn’t in front of a window, and it didn’t have any cute decor by it like the others. Chenle was gazing at the table, eyes not moving anywhere else.There were no other customers in the store, so Jisung didn’t think it would hurt to sit down across from Chenle.

“Lemon poppyseed, my favorite,” Jisung said as he set the plate down and sat down.

Chenle eyed the yellow frosted cupcake for a split second before taking a huge bite out of it. Jisung watched as his eyes widened, sparkling, and a huge grin appeared.

“This is _amazing_ , I can see why it’s your favorite!” And he dug in to finish eating it. Jisung could only watch the boy with a fond smile on his face.

After Chenle had finished eating, Jisung showed him around the bakery, including the back room. It was in the rules that customers _couldn’t_ go back there, but Jisung didn’t care. Chenle’s face formed a tiny ‘o’ as he looked at all the equipment. They then went back to the front, because the bell on the door had rang, signalling there was a customer. The customers that had entered were none other than Lee Taeyong and Jung Jaehyun. Fear creeped into Jisung, because Chenle was still behind the counter. But Jaehyun didn’t seem to mind, he didn’t bat an eye.

“Hello, Jisung! We just came for a quick snack before our movie!” gushed Taeyong before they picked out their food. He then noticed Chenle, and his smile widened. “Oh, who’s this?”

“I’m Zhong Chenle,” Chenle stuttered while bowing.

“He’s my classmate, he recently moved here from China,” explained Jisung. “We’re going to a football game later tonight.”

Jaehyun raised a questioning eyebrow and smirked, trying to imply something about them being a couple. Taeyong saw none of it, for he was too focused on Chenle.

“You’re so cute, Chenle!” he grinned. “I’m Jisung’s dance teacher. And Jaehyun here owns this.” he gestured to the bakery they were standing in. Chenle muttered a shy ‘thank you’. Jisung had packed up their pastries to go, and handed them to Jaehyun.

“Well, we’ll see you around, Chenle, have fun at the game tonight!” waved Taeyong before stepping out and linking hands with Jaehyun. Chenle let out a sigh of relief.

“I’m sorry.” Jisung scratched the back of his neck. “They’re _really_ friendly. Taeyong especially, he loves meeting new people.”

“That’s okay, he was nice.” Chenle sat in his chair from earlier. “So, you dance?”

“Yeah.” Jisung started wiping down the counter. His shift was over in about 15 minutes, and then he could go to the game… with Chenle. “I’ve only been taking lessons for a few weeks, but it’s been my passion for years.”

“That’s great that you have one,” said Chenle, softly smiling up towards the other boy. Jisung was impressed with how fast Chenle had changed around him. Earlier that day, he was super shy and would barely talk, but now there he was, making conversation and smiling. It was a new concept for Jisung. A concept he could get used to.

 

The two decided to walk to their school together for the game. It wasn’t too far, only a few blocks away. Jaemin had texted the group chat, saying that Jeno and Injoon were picking him up. Mark always ritually made Donghyuck go over to his house on game days to ‘get hype’, and then they arrived together. Sometimes, Jisung wondered what kind of blockheads his friends actually were. Jisung and Chenle walked in calm silence, simply enjoying the fresh air and peacefulness.

“Why’d you move to Korea?” Jisung asked after a few silent minutes.

Chenle blinked sadly. “My dad...he got a promotion.”

“Do you miss China?” Jisung softly asked, trying not to ask about something that might be too complicated.

Chenle looked away for a second, sadness full on his face. “Yes, more than anything.”

“Tell me about it?”

And so Chenle did. He told Jisung about how nice the people in his neighborhood was; how the lady from three houses down would bake banana bread and give it to everyone just because she liked it. Chenle shared how his mom would take him to waterfalls all the time because she really liked water. He told how his mom was so important to him, and how she was the reason he got into music and singing and piano. He told stories about how his next door neighbor owned a dog that always ran into his yard.

They continued walking while Chenle talked, and before they knew it, they had arrived at the school. Before they walked to the stadium, however, Chenle pulled on Jisung’s wrist, making Jisung face him.

“Jisung, thank you…”

“Anytime, sometimes it’s better to just let it out.” and with that, Jisung offered his hand, to which Chenle shyly took. Sadly, they had to unwrap their hands a few seconds later to pay admission.

“So, are you okay with sitting by the boys?” asked Jisung, realizing that Chenle might get uncomfortable.

Chenle swallowed, thinking it over. “Yeah, it’ll be fine.”

So Jisung lead Chenle to where his friends were in the stands. Jaemin was sitting in between Jeno and Injoon, and Donghyuck and Mark were seated behind the three. Scarlet coated Jaemin’s cheeks, as the two huddled into him. All five eyes were on Jisung as he walked over to them with Chenle.

“Hey, guys. This is Chenle, the one that moved recently from China.” he gave ‘the look’ to Jaemin, warning him that no teasing was allowed. Chenle awkwardly waved at the group of boys, subconsciously stepping half behind Jisung for protection.

Injoon was the first to break the silence. “I’m from China also!” Chenle lit up at those words. “I’m Injoon, this is my boyfriend Jeno, and our future boyfriend, Jaemin.” Chenle muttered ‘future boyfriend’ under his breath, trying to figure out if he actually heard the boy right, before smiling and saying something in Chinese to Injoon. After their quick conversing, Jisung cleared his throat and pointed to Donghyuck and Mark.

“Those two are Donghyuck and Mark.”

Donghyuck, who had no amusement on his face, groaned and waved. “Hello, you can call me Hyuck, or Hyuckie, or whatever you want.”

Mark threw his arm around Donghyuck, a wide grin plastered on his face. “Sorry, Duckie is sick of me dragging him to these games.”

 _“Duckie?_ Mark, didn’t we discuss…” The two started a new argument, while Jisung and Chenle sat down by them.

“So…” Chenle quietly whispered right into Jisung’s ear. “Which team are we rooting for?”

 

It turned into a freezing, exciting night. Their team had ended up winning, even though only Mark, Donghyuck, and Jeno _actually_ knew what that meant for the team. That didn’t stop Chenle and Jisung from jumping up in excitement and hugging/attacking each other. Injoon and Jeno just grinned at each other before planting kisses on Jaemin’s cheeks, which, in Donghyuck’s words, sent Jaemin into gay panic for the third time that day. It had turned cold, but none of the boys cared. They were too invested in screaming because their team had won state. Jisung secretly knew that they probably wouldn’t get any further, but that didn’t stop the happy fest.

 

At 9:30 PM when everyone was filling out of the field, Jisung insisted on walking Chenle home. It wasn’t his way of flirting; he was genuinely concerned for the boy’s safety. Chenle just rolled his eyes and let Jisung walk him home. It was a _much_ longer walk than what was anticipated; Chenle didn’t even live remotely near the school. Jisung didn’t care though; as long as Chenle got home okay everything would be fine. For most of the walk, the two talked about the events that took place during the football game.

When they arrived at Chenle’s house, which was _much_ bigger than Jisung expected, Chenle invited him in for some water, which Jisung was more than happy to say yes to. After getting his glass of water, Chenle gave Jisung a short tour. It was quite a lovely house. But when they got to Chenle’s bedroom, that’s when Jisung saw _it._ Gold wrapping paper, on the floor. _The_ gold wrapping paper. Gold envelopes. He realized it. Disappointment filled him. He felt rage start flaming inside of him, and he knew he had to get out of the house. Trying to control himself to not break the glass he was holding, Jisung quickly excused himself and left for his apartment.

Jisung knew that it was a sudden leave and that Chenle was more than confused. But some part of him just didn’t care. He could feel tears ready to spill any second, so he called the first contact he could think of. Taeyong. Taeyong picked up almost instantly.

_“Jisung? It’s getting late, what are you calling for?”_

“Hyung-” Jisung managed to get out, choking back a sob. “Can I talk to you about something?”

_“Of course, Sungie… Text me your address, okay? Jaehyun and I will come pick you up and you can come back to our apartment for the weekend.”_

And so Jisung did the most reasonable thing he could think of after texting the address. He sat down in the middle of the sidewalk. To others, he probably looked stupid or drunk, sitting in a random spot crying. But this was one of those situations.

Jaehyun pulled up soon after, and Taeyong got out of the car immediately and took him into a hug. Taeyong held the hug in place as they slipped into the backseat and Jaehyun drove. When they arrived at the couple’s condo, which was _much_ bigger than Jisung’s apartment, Taeyong started hot chocolate as Jaehyun got blankets to cuddle Jisung.

 

“Want to talk about it?” asked Jaehyun from one side of Jisung.

“So… you know how I told you about the gold presents I got?” Jisung took a deep breath. “They’re from Chenle.” Gasps were heard on both sides of him.

“No way…” said Taeyong. “How would he get all that money?”

“I just saw his house, his family is rich.”

Jaehyun started rubbing circles on Jisung’s back as Taeyong patted his hair. “Are you one hundred percent sure it’s him, though?”

Jisung sighed in defeat. “There was a sheet of gold paper and a bunch of different attempts of my name. It makes sense, it was written neatly, and Chenle’s a foreigner.” He glanced at the couple with a sad pout. “But I don’t see why he’s just throwing money at me, he doesn’t even _know_ me! Does he really think I’m _that_ poor? Even if I am, does that give him the right to just send me gifts?”

“Want to hear my honest opinion?” asked Jaehyun in a quiet, soothing voice. Jisung knew he would speak either way, wanted or not. “I think you just need to talk it out with him. You two were getting along really well earlier.”

Taeyong hugged Jisung a little closer, in attempts to comfort him. “Jaehyun’s right. You should talk it out to him. Why don’t we go dance it off tomorrow, okay? Jaehyun will cancel your shifts for this weekend; it can be a no-stress weekend. No worrying about anything. Then, on Monday, you can talk to Chenle and get all of this sorted out. Okay?”

“Okay.”

 

Jisung did _not_ talk it out with Chenle Monday morning. Or any of Monday at all. And on Tuesday, he avoided Chenle too. His friends were pretty much completely oblivious of the avoiding taking place. The boy still left lunches every day, however. He’d slide the meal over and then go and sit by Injoon and Jeno.

But on Wednesday morning, Injoon walked straight up to Jisung, grabbed him by the arm, and started dragging him away.

After strings of curses in Chinese, Injoon regained himself. “What are you doing?” he bluntly stated, glaring at Jisung.

_“What?”_

Injoon sighed, as if Jisung’s existence was bothering him. “What are you doing with Chenle? He’s been acting weird since Monday and he _clearly_ isn’t getting enough sleep. So what did you do?”

“Why are you assuming it was me?”

“Who else would it be? Chenle hasn’t talked to anyone besides you. Now spill.”

“I…” Jisung was at a loss of words. What was he to say? That he was avoiding Chenle because Chenle sent more money than Jisung will ever obtain in his entire life?

“You know what?” Injoon snapped, crossing his arms and rolling his eyes. “I don’t even care what you did. Just _fix_ it. Seriously.” And as fast as Injoon had came in, Injoon was out, leaving Jisung standing there, dumbfounded.

 

So at lunch, Jisung decided to fix it. Chenle was doing his usual routine of sliding a lunch by him, and Jisung grabbed his hand when he was about to leave. Chenle tried to pull back right away, but Jisung wouldn’t let him.

“Chenle, can we talk privately?” Chenle wouldn’t even meet his eyes. The boy kept his eyes fixed at his feet. Jisung stood up, taking the food with him, and led Chenle outside. He could feel his friend’s eyes on him, but he didn’t care. When the two sat down and Chenle looked into his eyes, Jisung’s heart dropped. Chenle’s face was… emotionless. Expressionless. His eyes looked empty.

“Listen, Chenle, I know you sent the stuff to me. And I know that I’m poor and all and my parents disowned me and everything, but I don’t like being in debt or anything like that. You shouldn’t have sent all of that and I’ll give it back to you, okay? So-”

“Wait, _what?_ ” Chenle’s voice was hoarse, but calm. “Isn’t the money the only reason you talked to me in the first place?”

It was Jisung’s turn to look utterly confused. “What?”

Chenle started fidgeting, trying to look anywhere but Jisung. “Well, back in China, the kids at school found out about my… wealth… and they started being all friendly with me. They told me that the only way I’ll make friends is if I share my money. So I did. I gave the money that you needed to you, and you started talking to me. You started being nice to me.” His voice broke. “So- So I thought that you’d be friends with me, because you acknowledged me and were nice. But then, like the kids in China used to, you just stopped talking to me. Did I give you the right amount of money? Do you need more?” Chenle looked into Jisung’s eyes, as if frantically searching for an answer.

Jisung took a deep breath, letting the words hit him. He reached over and carefully took Chenle’s hand in his own. “Chenle, I didn’t know you were sending the money until after the football game. I didn’t realize...all _that_ happened to you, I’m really sorry. You don’t have to give anything to be friends with me. That’s not how friendship works. I wasn’t being nice to you because you sent me the stuff, I was being nice because I genuinely wanted to be friends with you.” He traced circles on Chenle’s knuckles, trying to read his facial expression.

“I thought… I thought you were going to leave me like they all used to.”

“I would never.”

“Promise?”

“Promise, Chenle.”

The two then ate their lunches.

“Oh, by the way, Jisung, you’re keeping what I gave you. You need it. I’m not taking no for an answer.”

Jisung knew by the look on Chenle’s face that he couldn’t say anything to change his mind. So he just smiled and threw his arm around the boy as they walked in towards the school.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> happy american time birthday to markus lee today! (it's august 2nd in the US rn)  
> the flower carpet was adorable, i love how the crowd sang mark happy birthday (look up nct 127 flower carpet on youtube) 
> 
> i've only written 2 sentences for the next tutor me chapter... oops


	3. and loving you

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Hey, Chenle?” he shifted a little to make his head face the boy.
> 
> Chenle returned the gesture and scooted a little closer to Jisung, looking into his eyes. “Yeah, Jisung?”
> 
> “Can I tell you something that may potentially ruin our entire friendship?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey look who finally remember i wrote this like a week ago oops

After that, Jisung and Chenle were inseparable. Jeno and Injoon had officially asked out Jaemin, which made Jisung feel better for not hanging out with Jaemin all the time. Jeno and Injoon joined their lunch table, and Chenle resumed sitting next to Jisung. Everyone got along in the group, which made it easier. (besides Mark and Donghyuck most of time, even though they secretly loved each other) 

Jisung still danced before school and worked after school. But Chenle tried visiting the bakery as much as possible, which made it more fun. Chenle would help him sweep the floor when there were no customers, and the two would dance around the store while singing to the radio. To say the least, the floor was much more clean than it used to be. Chenle would help frost the cupcakes, smearing frosting on Jisung’s face every so often, which started food wars. 

Jisung learned more about Chenle. He learned how Chenle  _ loved  _ ‘You Raise Me Up’ and The Beatles with a burning passion. He learned how Chenle’s dad wasn’t home that often, but it was okay, because his mom was always home. 

Chenle had started talking to the other boys, too. Donghyuck and him got along from their love for music, Jaemin and him got along from their love for food, and Mark and him got along for their love of teasing Donghyuck. 

Jisung was trying his hardest to show Chenle what a  _ true  _ friendship looked like. A part of him wanted to hug and protect Chenle forever; the other part wanted to fly to China and punch Chenle’s old ‘friends’ in the face. Chenle deserved the best, Jisung knew, and he did his best to let Chenle know it too. 

The seven of them, as a whole, became closer. The dance studio became their favorite place to visit on the weekends; all seven had a love for music. The group had met Jaehyun and Taeyong, Jaemin’s face turned bright pink, and they all hit it off well. Jaehyun and Taeyong became the unofficial official parents of the high schoolers. 

 

One Saturday, the group was laying on the floor of the practice room. They had been dancing for fun for the past hour, and everyone (besides Jisung) were pretty much dead. Jeno and Injoon’s heads were on Jaemin’s stomach, and Donghyuck, Mark, and Chenle were stretched out in their own bubbles.    
Jisung was the first to actually move. He crawled over by Chenle with a tiny, devious smirk. Chenle, whose eyes were closed, didn’t have any time to react. Jisung had straddled him and was tickling the living daylights out of him. Chenle’s loud, dolphin laughs quickly filled the quiet room, promptly causing the other boys to sit up. Donghyuck was the first to react, pouncing towards Jisung to tickle attack him. Mark crawled to Donghyuck, tickling him, and the other three soon joined in also. It was one huge tickle fest. 

After what seemed like forever of laughing and screaming their heads off, the boys had to stop. Jisung had work, and he had to go get ready for it. The group pouted and complained about his busy schedule, but Jisung just cheekily smiled and said, “I have to pay rent somehow. See you!” And so the six decided to come up with a plan. 

 

Later that day, when Jisung’s shift at the bakery was about to end, Jaehyun and Taeyong walked in. Jisung smiled politely and greeted them, getting them the food they wanted. 

“Sung, we actually wanted to ask you something.” Taeyong said as he patted the seat next to him. Jisung obliged immediately, sitting down.    
“You’ve been working hard recently,” started Jaehyun. “We don’t want your grades to go down. Or for your mental health to get bad. You can’t live off of less than six hours of sleep every night.” Jisung just stared blankly, trying to understand what their point was. Was he getting fired? Jaehyun and Taeyong had their adult voices on, so he could tell it was serious. 

“Why do you live by yourself?” Taeyong asked softly. Jisung swallowed nervously. He hadn’t shared this with anyone besides Jaemin, Hyuck, and Mark… And it took him  _ months  _ to tell them. 

“I…” he avoided eye contact at all costs. “I came out to my parents freshman year. They took it bad and kicked me out. I’ve been on my own since then. They said they never wanted to see me again, and they haven’t.”

“Oh, Sungie…” Taeyong pulled him into a side hug, sharing a look of concern with Jaehyun, who was across from them. “We’ll  _ always  _ be here for you.”

“Jisung, we have a spare room. It has its own bathroom and everything. Do you want to move in with us?” Jaehyun cut right to the chase. “You could quit your job at the flower shop and just work at the bakery, with a less hectic schedule.” 

Jisung couldn’t believe his ears. He stared, dumbfounded, across the table for a good twenty seconds. He was, quite literally, speechless.

Taeyong nervously tried reading Jisung’s expression. “We were just wondering, because we’ve seen your apartment, and no offense, but it’s  _ freezing _ . And it’s not like you have any food in your fridge, don’t try convincing me otherwise; instant ramen is  _ not  _ healthy for every meal. We’re not pitying you or anything, we just genuinely love you and want you to-”

“Hyung, you’re rambling.” grinned Jisung. “I’d  _ love  _ to move in with you, as long as it’s not a bother to you.” 

Nothing could compare to the smile on Jaehyun’s face. “Of course it’s not bothersome; you could never be.” He stood up, and offered his hand to the boy. “Shall we go shopping for your new room?” Jisung slipped his hand into Jaehyun’s, and Taeyong took Jaehyun’s other hand. They closed the bakery early and went shopping. 

 

Three hours later, Jisung invited Chenle over to Jaehyun and Taeyong’s… no,  _ his  _ apartment for a sleepover. He probably should’ve been more nervous, but he wasn’t. It was just Chenle. His Chenle. 

Chenle was polite and cheerful to Jaehyun and Taeyong as he entered, and Jisung led him to his new room. There was plastic laid on the floor, no furniture, and tape outlining the walls. All of his possessions were in the living room. Chenle stared at the empty room in wonder, and Jisung back hugged him, holding a paintbrush in front of his face. 

“Wanna help?” 

The two began painting the gray walls into white. After one coat was finished, Chenle snuck up behind Jisung and painted his cheek, which was the start of a paint war. They had strict rules that paint could only get on them or the floor, nothing else, which were probably the worst rules ever, because their main target was each other. 

After eating pizza and painting a second coat, Chenle went to shower, leaving Jisung in his own thoughts. He realized he had never felt more carefree until he started being friends with Chenle. Sure, he was open before, but Chenle had brought out the excited boy in him. It was a new change, a new Jisung. Jisung liked it. Jisung didn’t like the twist in the bottom of his stomach that he got whenever Chenle hugged him, though. He didn’t like that he would give anything and everything to see Chenle smile. 

Chenle changed into Jisung’s clothes and sat on the couch, watching tv until Jisung got out of the shower. When he got to the living room, Jisung suggested that they play a fun game. Chenle only raised his eyebrows in suspicion as Jisung pulled out his karaoke game. If he was being honest, Jisung would say that he’d never done karaoke before. It was just one of the things Jaehyun and Taeyong had laying around for if they ever had a party. But seeing how Chenle’s face lit up like a Christmas tree, Jisung thought he could lie for just one night. 

They started off simple and easy by screaming ‘Barbie Girl’ at the top of their lungs. Luckily for them, Jaehyun and Taeyong owned a high up condo. The two sang more upbeat, energetic songs, occasionally jumping on the couch and all over the living room. It was a mess, but a fun mess. Chenle chose a love song, much to Jisung’s disliking, and promised Jisung he’d  _ wreck  _ it. That he did. But as Chenle was belting off the lyrics in a more high pitched tone than the original artist, Jisung realized something. 

He realized that Chenle was fun to be around. He realized that Chenle was genuinely kind and compassionate. He realized Chenle can’t bake for his  _ life.  _ He realized Chenle was someone he wanted to be around for the rest of his life. And seeing Chenle dramatically butcher what was his favorite song, Jisung thought that coming home to Chenle everyday would be nice. Hugging Chenle would be nice. Cuddling Chenle would be nice.  _ Kissing  _ Chenle would be nice. Being with Chenle, in general, would be lovely. 

So Jisung did what anyone that just realized they have  _ feelings  _ for their friend did. He excused himself to the bathroom after Chenle finished his song and called his best friend. 

_ “What do you want, Sung? I’m cuddling with my boyfriends.”  _ A giggle and a smooch was heard. Jisung inwardly cringed. 

“I need to know your opinion on something.” Jaemin hummed, showing he was listening. “Hypothetically, if someone was just enjoying their friend’s presence, and then they suddenly realized they’re madly in love with them and they want to take them on dates, what would you do?” 

_ “Wait, what? Sungie, you’re in  _ love  _ with someone?” _

“No, not me!” Both of them knew that was a lie. “It’s just… I don’t know what to do, and he’s kinda in my living room right now…”

_ “Go flirt like your life is ending tomorrow!”  _ yelled Jeno into the receiver. Jaemin sighed.  _ “Sorry about that. Listen, Sung. You’re an amazing boy and if he doesn’t see that then he’s stupid. Don’t rush anything and do whatever feels right in that moment, okay?”  _

“Okay, thank you…” 

A ‘go get your man!’ and a ‘go get  _ Chenle’  _ was heard from Injoon and Jeno before Jaemin hung up. Jisung quickly flushed and acted like he was washing his hands so Chenle didn’t get suspicious. 

But when Jisung returned to the living room, Chenle was curled up in a blanket, fast asleep. Jisung chuckled to himself, taking a picture (for blackmail, of course.) and staring at the sleeping boy for a few seconds. Chenle looked so… relaxed when he slept. His lips were parted slightly, little puffs of air going in and out, and his face in general just looked smooth and perfect. Taeyong and Jaehyun weren’t planning on coming back home that night, because Jisung didn’t have a bed in his room yet and Chenle needed a real place to sleep. The couple had left for a date and then they were going over to their friend’s house, leaving Chenle and Jisung in peace. 

Jisung carefully cradled the boy in his arms, making sure Chenle didn’t wake up, and took him to the older couple’s room. Chenle, luckily, didn’t wake up and only shifted a few times. Jisung was unsure of what to do next. Chenle was safely under covers and still asleep, but was he supposed to sleep  _ next  _ to Chenle? So he did the most reasonable thing he could think of. 

_ “What do you want?”  _

Jisung paced in the kitchen. “Hyuckie, my one true love, the love of my-” 

_ “You know that’s Mark. Now what do you want?” _

“I figured I’d ask you, because you have no balls and haven’t asked Mark out yet.. So say it’s Mark and yours first sleepover. Do you sleep in the same bed?” 

_ “Well, yeah, of course! We’re good friends, and we were when our actual first sleepover was.” _

“Okay. But what if you have a crush on Mark, and he’s sleeping and you don’t know if you should sleep in the same bed?”

_ “Wait, Sungie, do you have a crush?”  _ Donghyuck practically yelled into the phone. 

“I have for, like, twenty minutes. No big deal. But help?”

_ “Just sleep. It’s not like you guys are doing anything dirty or bad. It’s just sleeping, no worries.” _

“Thanks, Duckie.”

_ “I  _ swear  _ I will kill you, didn’t we agree-” _

Jisung hung up on Donghyuck and walked back to the bedroom. He awkwardly slipped under covers next to Chenle, putting a pillow in between them for safe measures. Jisung eventually fell asleep, dreaming of the boy next to him.

 

Jisung had a problem. The problem didn’t have  _ anything  _ to do with his newly discovered crush. Not at all. To Jisung, it was like he became hyperalert to everything Chenle did. Suddenly, he was noticing every facial expression and even everyone Chenle  _ looked  _ at. He was also becoming more self aware of his own actions with Chenle; Jisung was suddenly noticing all their contact. It wasn’t that he wasn’t used to it, Chenle  _ was  _ a touchy person once you got close to him. It was that Jisung was now overthinking every single one of Chenle’s interactions with him, and it was driving him insane. 

It was a week after Jisung’s realization, and he could feel himself going crazy. 

“Who gave him permission to be so adorable?” Jisung grumbled to Jaemin, who was seated across from him in the bakery. Jaemin gave him a questioning eyebrow. “He hugged me goodbye. It’s official; I hate him.”

“No you don’t. You love him.” 

Jisung made a weird noise and draped his arms and head over the counter, hands dangling in front of Jaemin. “Ugh, I know. What do I do?” 

Jaemin chuckled, clearly judging the boy he called his best friend. “I don’t know, maybe  _ tell  _ him?” 

Jisung puffed and pouted. “That’s easier said than done, you know that.” 

“Well, I’m sure I can speak for everyone by saying this,” started Jaemin. “We’d all like it better if you were lovesick over him while in a  _ relationship  _ with him. It’s annoying to see you pine over him, just ask the boy out! The worst he can say is no.”

“Saying no would  _ ruin  _ our friendship. But Chenle’s a great boy. He’s smart, rich, handsome, and has the world at his hands. He wouldn’t date someone like me; I’m poor and not good at anything.” 

Jaemin used all his effort to  _ not  _ reach out and slap the boy in front of him. “ _ Jisung _ . You’re great at dance, you aren’t failing any classes, and you clearly need more self confidence. Besides, I don’t think Chenle would look at social standings, and you know it. The first thing you can do is put some self worth in that thick skull of your’s and then confess.” 

Jisung looked up with glassy eyes at his best friend. “You’re always the best at pep talks, Nana.”

“I know.” Jaemin ruffled Jisung’s hair. “Get some sleep tonight, okay? You have all the time in the world, you don’t have to rush yourself. You need to love yourself before you try to love Chenle, that’s the only way it’ll work out.” He stood up to leave; he had a date with Jeno and Injoon that night. 

“Bye, Nana. I love you. A lot.” 

“I love you too. Text me later!” And with that, Jaemin was gone, leaving Jisung alone with his thoughts. 

 

Jisung didn’t know what he was thinking. Chenle had invited him out for ice cream after school, since it was his day off, and Jisung agreed. It had been a few weeks since Jaemin’s talk, and Jisung was trying to figure out exactly what he wanted. He knew that he wanted Chenle, but he knew that he should figure out how to love and care for  _ himself  _ first. Jisung thought he’d been progressing, in full honestly. He’d been getting more sleep, eating fuller meals (thanks to Taeyong), showering hot showers, which was new, and in general, was learning to love himself. Jaehyun and Jaemin both noticed how he was improving, and they made sure to voice it, which made Jisung feel better. 

So there Jisung was, walking around town with Chenle. He hadn’t been trying to avoid the boy or anything absurd, he still treated Chenle normally. Jisung was just more conscious. Chenle was happily eating his ice cream, skipping like a little kid. The sunny weather was perfect. The pair passed a graffiti wall, to which Jisung grabbed Chenle’s hand, stopping him. He guided the shorter male in front of the wall, pulling out his phone. 

“The sun hits you perfectly, hold still-  _ perfect _ .” Chenle did a few different poses while Jisung tried to find the best angles. The photos turned out beautiful, in Jisung’s opinion. Chenle’s white, loose-fitted shirt looked great in front of the colorful wall. His brown hair nearly looked golden shaded in the sun. 

Chenle linked their arms together while happily saying, “Send me those later!” and skipping off, forcing Jisung to bobble along. The two eventually paced to a walk, enjoying the scenery and fresh air. There was a beach near them, which the pair ended up at. Chenle danced in the sand to his favorite Spotify playlist that he turned on, while Jisung enjoyed the view. The view was either the water or Chenle, depending on how it was looked at. Chenle’s hair and clothes blew in random directions with the wind, as did Jisung’s. 

But when Chenle played one of Jisung’s favorite songs, Jisung just  _ had  _ to go and join him. There the two were, on the beach in the middle of the afternoon, dancing in the sand without a care in the world. Jisung felt truly  _ happy _ . 

And then it happened. During an upbeat song, Chenle slipped. Luckily, Jisung was near, and was able to catch him, ending up leaned over the fallen boy. But the one thing he hadn’t calculated was how close their faces were. The two stared in each other’s eyes for a moment, until Jisung realized what exactly he had been doing and just helped Chenle up. The words of Jaemin about waiting for the right moment crossed Jisung’s mind, and he wondered if the right time was right then. Chenle and him sat down on a bench that overlooked the beach, and Jisung questioned if he was supposed to put his arm around Chenle or anything. It wasn’t like he hadn’t done it before, right? 

So Jisung slipped his arm around Chenle’s shoulder and watched the blush creep onto Chenle’s face. That’s when Jisung actually understood what Jaemin meant. 

“Hey, Chenle?” he shifted a little to make his head face the boy. 

Chenle returned the gesture and scooted a little closer to Jisung, looking into his eyes. “Yeah, Jisung?”

“Can I tell you something that may potentially ruin our entire friendship?” 

Chenle softly laughed for a split second. “This sounds like good news.” Seeing Jisung’s concerned face, he added, “Just tell me, nothing can ruin it.”

Jisung took a deep breath, remembering Jaemin’s pep speech from a few weeks prior in the back of his head. “So… I don’t know how to put this nicely, so- I’m kind of head over heels in love with you. And I want to date you.” Jisung braced for a rejection. He was  _ really  _ prepared for it. 

However, instead of slapping him and walking away, Chenle let out a quiet giggle and grabbed Jisung’s hand. “It only took you 45 years to say that, hm?” Jisung looked at him with a confused expression. “Sungie, I’ve been in love with you too.” 

And that’s when Jisung’s heart stopped. Or his heart started beating. “Lele, do you want to be my boyfriend?” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know when my NEW appointment will be now. TBH I haven't wrote for like a week now, but I'm going to try to get motivated again. The appointment went.... unexpected? I still haven't been diagnosed- hopefully I will be next time. (hopefully? hopefully not? I already know I'm gonna be eventually) 
> 
> ALSO. WATCH STRAY KIDS NEW PACE & LISTEN TO THE ALBUM. I LOVE IT.


	4. to the end

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And as Jisung wrapped his arms around the love of his life, he knew that everything was falling into place. All because of Chenle.

“Lele, do you want to be my boyfriend?” 

Chenle looked at him with a wide smile that nearly covered his eyes. “I’d love to, Sungie.” With that, Chenle cuddled up more into Jisung’s side and laced their hands together. 

The two sat silently, Chenle playing with Jisung’s hand and Jisung playing with Chenle’s hair. It was quiet, but a good quiet. A content quiet. Sitting there, with his whole world in his lap, Jisung finally felt at peace. He remembered the day Taeyong told him about his past, and how Taeyong went through similar situations. Taeyong told him that there was one day that he realized he could be  _ happy _ . (Jisung secretly knew it was two months into Jaehyun and Taeyong’s relationship) Jisung finally felt what Taeyong had felt. Pure happiness. It was solely from one person; the boy in front of Jisung. 

 

The two had their first kiss three days later. It was simple, short, and probably horrible compared to the future kisses they would share, but it didn’t stop their faces from turning beat red. Jisung had been at Chenle’s house, playing video games, and it all just flowed naturally. 

One second Jisung was shoving Chenle for being too good at Mario Kart, the next he was leaning in with his eyes fluttering shut. Jisung had gently set one hand on Chenle’s waist and the other on his neck. Chenle instantly reacted by slipping his arms around Jisung’s neck and shifting to pull him closer. (Jisung secretly applauded himself for remembering to wear chapstick that day.) Their lips pressed together for a short seven seconds. A short seven seconds that meant the world to the both of them. Seeing Chenle’s eyes flutter open, in Jisung’s personal opinion, was the prettiest thing in the universe. His brown eyes had innocently looked up in Jisung’s, and fond smiles were written on their faces. Neither of them minded their newfound enjoyment for kisses. 

 

When their friends out that they had started dating, it was purely accidental. Everyone had known about Jisung’s crush on Chenle, but the fact that they were in a relationship was a total surprise. The seven were seated at their usual lunch table, engaging in small talk. Chenle, who was tired from staying up late on FaceTime with Jisung and was feeling sick, snuggled into Jisung’s shoulder. Jisung was used to it; it wasn’t a foreign concept. Jisung found himself snaking an arm around Chenle’s waist and pulling him closer, like he usually did during their cuddling sessions. The two didn’t realize that all of their friends were watching; they were stuck in their own world. 

Chenle looked up with small pout, silently telling Jisung how his stomach hurt. Jisung, in response, lightly pecked Chenle’s forehead to comfort the smaller. It was an intimate moment that was immediately ruined by the five faces gaping at them. 

“Do you have something to share?” questioned Jaemin with a tiny smirk on his face. 

Jisung and Chenle shared an embarrassed glance, before Chenle linked their fingers together and held them up for the boys to see. 

“We’re dating,” Chenle stated calmly, as if it wasn’t a big deal. It wasn’t to the couple, but to their friends, it was the most important news they had received all day. 

Injoon was the first one to snap out of his jaw-dropped stare. The boy cleared his throat and straightened up. “Congrats, then!” The four other boys followed suit, congratulating them, but still sneaking glances at the couple at any opportunity. 

 

Jisung and Chenle’s relationship didn’t change much after their friends found out. There were more invitations to double dates, but otherwise, it was the same. Chenle was always with Jisung, and Jisung was always with Chenle, just how it always was. Their person relationship hadn’t changed much from when they started dating; it was just newly occupied with a lot of kissing and cuddling. Neither of the boys minded, though. 

 

The group was in Practice Room E, their hang out place, a few weeks later. Jaemin, Jeno, and Injoon were snuggled up on the couch, and Jisung, Chenle, and Donghyuck were sprawled over the floor, while Mark was showing them one of his new freestyle raps. It was one of the boy’s hobbies that he  _ never  _ stopped doing. 

Donghyuck had his eyes closed, simply listening to the boy’s voice. When Mark’s rap was completed, Donghyuck dragged Chenle into the hallway with a look of panic on his face, the five others looking confused.

Chenle was equally confused. “What is it?” he gave a weird look to Donghyuck, as if checking if he was still sane. 

Donghyuck quickly closed the door so no one could hear him. “I think I want to ask Mark out.”

“Wait,” Chenle gave an even more confused face. “You guys  _ aren’t  _ dating? I thought you’ve been together since, like, before I came.” His jaw dropped a little, and he stared at his friend as if he had just seen a huge bug. 

“No, we’re not. I’ve just loved him since forever.” Donghyuck pouted. “I just realized that I actually want to date him, like how you’re dating Jisung.”

A smile slowly crept onto Chenle’s face. “So then you should ask him out!”

“I can’t,” hissed Donghyuck, a look of panic filling his eyes. “He doesn’t like me in that way.” 

Chenle gave Hyuck an ‘are you serious right now’ face, raising his eyebrows. “You don’t know until you try. Besides, the heart eyes are quite obvious, you don’t have much to worry about.” With that, Chenle stood up to return to the practice room with a smirk; Donghyuck on his heels asking, “What do you mean?” 

“Are you okay Hyuck?” asked Mark, who was seated on the floor next to Jisung. 

Donghyuck stood in place at the doorway, tilting his head to the left with a frustrated expression on his face. “Actually...no. Can I talk to you in private, Markie?” 

 

It was two weeks after Donghyuck had asked out Mark. When the couple retold it to their friends, everyone doubled over in laughter. Donghyuck had marched Mark out of the room and put his hands on his hips, staring the boy down with a determined expression. Mark had opened his mouth to speak, but Donghyuck didn’t let him. Donghyuck then rushed out how he liked the male, until he realized he didn’t even know if Mark wasn’t straight, causing his face to turn bright red. Mark had started laughing at Hyuck’s rushed “I’m sorry if you’re straight, I never considered it!” and kissed the boy on his lips to shut him up. They then agreed to be boyfriends. 

“Wait,” Jaemin stared at Donghyuck with amusement. “You thought he was  _ straight _ ? Mark Lee, a straight?” 

“Shut up!” Donghyuck whined, rolling his eyes at his friends. “I was scared in the moment and started overthinking it.”

Mark intertwined their hands. “It’s okay, all that matters is that we’re together now.”

A chorus of ‘ew’ and ‘boo’ were heard from the others. 

 

Getting used to having a friend group that made up three couples wasn’t hard for Jisung. He had seen Mark and Donghyuck coming for a  _ long  _ time, and Jaemin hadn’t been very blunt about his profound love for Jeno (and now Injoon). Jisung  _ definitely  _ didn’t see himself getting a boyfriend, but life had its ways of working. 

The seven still sat together at lunch like usual, it was just occupied with a lot more hand holding and feeding their significant others. They still had their regular group hangouts every Friday nights, which contained fun events varying from bowling to arcades to movie nights. Weekends were the unofficial official date days for all three couples; they even started scheduling their dates so no couple would end up at the same place. Everything worked out perfectly, like a puzzle. 

 

Chenle and Jisung made a wordless agreement to not say ‘I love you’. If you asked Jisung, he would say it was too cliche. If you asked Chenle, he’d say that the words were so overused by people that weren’t actually in love, that they lost their meanings. The couple had their own, special way of saying ‘I love you’. Both knew how important it was to  _ show  _ that they loved each other, instead of just simply saying it. 

Sometimes it was Jisung taking down too high placed cups from the cabinet for Chenle and smirking at him after, but not teasing about his height. Sometimes it was slow dancing in the kitchen with only the fridge light during one of their date nights, with whatever movie they had been watching playing quietly in the background. Sometimes it was Chenle taking care of Jisung when he got a cold and had to stay home from school, refusing to cuddle Jisung because he knew that he would end up sick too. 

The couple had only been dating for a few months, so saying that they loved each other that early would be weird for them. They  _ knew  _ they loved each other, but there was an unspoken agreement to take everything slow. 

Jisung opted for simpler phrases that had the same meaning, like ‘I appreciate you’ or ‘you make me happy’. Chenle quickly caught on, occasionally throwing phrases like ‘I adore you’ and ‘I’m yours’. They said them at the randomest times, when the other would least expect it. Chenle would be in the bathroom, and Jisung would walk past and yell out that Chenle made him happy. 

 

Jisung had made a promise to Chenle that he would, someday, repay all the money that Chenle gave him. Chenle had laughed it off, stating that it wouldn’t matter, because their funds would be joint eventually. 

 

Their relationship was simple, there was no typical ‘honeymoon’ phase. It was more like the other had filled in a gap to the hole the other didn’t even know existed. They never posted pictures on social media of them, and when asked, they would explain how the pictures were their own memories and it wouldn’t be special if the whole world saw them too. (that didn’t stop Jaemin from cooing every time he saw Jisung’s background of Chenle and him) 

The couple saved the cuddling and kissing for the privacy of their own eyes, only doing it when they were alone. (of course, they made a cuddling exception for when the group got together for a movie night. cuddling during movies was a MUST) 

 

After five months of dating, Chenle stated that he wanted Jisung to officially meet his parents. Jisung had partially met Chenle’s mom, but she didn’t even know the two were together. So Jisung was just a  _ tad  _ bit nervous. He had never actually seen Chenle’s father, and he knew that he had a scary businessman reputation. 

Jisung was in his bedroom with Taeyong and Jaehyun, trying to pick out an outfit. Jaehyun suggested going comfy casual, while Taeyong suggested dressing to impress. Jisung would never admit it, but his ‘parents’ were  _ not  _ very helpful when it came to stuff like that. The two were stuck in the married couple faze. 

Jisung ended up calling Chenle, who laughed and told him to just wear what he normally wore, because it was  _ just  _ his parents. (Chenle didn’t need to know how Jisung muttered “just your parents” with a conflicted face after he hung up, still clearly confused on what to wear) He ended up pairing a button down blue and white striped shirt, half tucked in, with black jeans. Jisung got quick approval from Taeyong and Jaehyun, before hopping in the car to have Jaehyun drive him to his boyfriend’s house. 

They pulled up in front of Chenle’s house, and Jisung’s nerves were rising by the second. Jaehyun just smiled and put his hand on Jisung’s shoulder. “You’ll do great, kiddo. They’ll love you.”   
“I hope so...thank you, hyung.” Jisung looked into Jaehyun’s eyes, before letting out a small chuckle. “You look like a proud dad right now, oh my gosh, it’s so funny.” 

“I  _ am  _ a proud dad!” Jaehyun huffed, dramatically pretending to be offended. “It’s been a difficult journey raising you, but I think I did a  _ fantastic  _ job,” he joked, before turning serious. “I’m proud of you, Sung. Text me if you need anything, okay?” 

“I will.” Jisung opened the car door to get out. “Hey, hyung, I’ve never said this before… but I love you. And Taeyong, of course. Thank you for...everything.” 

“We love you too. Now go in there and kill it, tiger!” 

Jisung rolled his eyes and headed towards the house with a small grin on his face. 

 

When Jisung knocked on the door, Chenle opened it with a huge smile. Chenle quietly stepped outside, gently closing the door behind him. 

“Hey, sweetheart.” he wrapped his arms around Jisung’s neck. “You’ll do great tonight, don’t worry.” and with that, like a cherry on top, Chenle gave Jisung a five second kiss on the lips. “Let’s go inside now, hm?” Chenle led the boy in, with a firm but loving grasp on his hand. 

Chenle dragged Jisung into the kitchen, where his parents were finishing cooking. “Alright, folks, it’s time for the special announcement!” he yelled, getting their attention. 

When Chenle had explained the plan to Jisung, it seemed a lot more complicated. Chenle had told his parents he had news to share, without any other information. It seemed quite faulty, but Jisung trusted Chenle, and he didn’t doubt the boy at all.

“Mom, dad, you may want to sit down for this…” Chenle let go of Jisung’s hand and directed them to the kitchen table, forcing his parents to sit down. He then returned to Jisung. “This is Park Jisung, my boyfriend.” Chenle grinned, intertwining his hand with Jisung’s again. 

Jisung, in all honestly, had thought the parents’ reactions would be a  _ lot  _ worse than they were. But neither of the two even batted an eye. Mrs. Zhong let out a hearty laugh, saying that she had known from all the invitations to hang out. Mr. Zhong, who Jisung was more nervous for, didn’t miss a beat, and asked if it was okay that they were having burgers for dinner. In that moment, Jisung knew that the two were okay with him dating their precious son. 

Jisung quickly found out that Chenle’s dad wasn’t as scary as his CEO personality showed. The man cracked jokes all night, and had a smile on his face the whole time. Mrs. Zhong had the same ‘proud parent’ face as Jaehyun did earlier, and Jisung’s first thoughts were that  _ he could get used to this. _

Jisung ended up sleeping over, cuddling the daylights out of Chenle while they ‘watched’ a movie. (he would say he watched the movie, but Jisung couldn’t even remember what the plotline was. Chenle was far more interesting.) The two fell asleep on the living room couch, Chenle snuggling into Jisung’s chest. 

 

For their six month anniversary, Jisung took Chenle to the beach and they had a picnic while watching the sunset. They had agreed on no presents, just each other’s presence. (Jisung wondered, though, did people even buy presents for their six month anniversary? It seemed… weird to him.) 

 

When their year anniversary rolled around, Jisung knew he had to do something a little  _ more  _ special than last time. So he did the most practical thing he could think of that Chenle hadn’t already done. He took Chenle to a dog cafe. Chenle  _ loved  _ dogs, which Jisung had quickly learned at the start of their friendship. 

After spending two hours watching Chenle coo over the puppies, they did what was on Chenle’s schedule. Chenle took Jisung to a trampoline park, with full knowledge that Jisung had always wanted to go there. They then spent another two hours, dragging down the other as much as they could. After the trampoline park, the two agreed on a restaurant to eat dinner at. 

“Do you ever think about contacting your parents again?” asked Chenle. They were seated on the restaurant’s outside patio, watching the stars come out. Chenle reached over and took Jisung’s hand, letting him know that it was okay not to answer. 

“I...sometimes I do, I guess. I don’t think they want me to contact them, though.” Jisung took a deep breath, squeezing his boyfriend’s hand. “I think...I think I’ve gotten this far on my own, that I don’t need them at all. Ever. I mean, I have Tae and Jae now, plus your parents, plus our friends, plus  _ you _ . I have everyone I need with me. I’d take you over my parents any day.” 

Chenle stood up and walked over to Jisung, lightly sitting on his lap, while snaking his hands around Jisung. “I love you, Jisung. I know we don’t say it, but seriously, I do. I have so much love for you that it’s going to overflow.” 

“I love you too. With my whole heart.” Jisung looked into Chenle’s eyes, before closing his eyes to meet the kiss Chenle was initiating. 

If you were to ask the couple what was different between their ‘I love you’ exchange and other couple’s, they would say that theirs was truly from the bottom of their hearts. The words were laced with pure love and compassion.

 

-

 

Two years later, Jisung stood by his best friends and his boyfriend on their school’s auditorium stage for graduation. In midst of all the cheering when the final words were said from their principal, Jisung looked over at Chenle with a smile on his face, and laced their fingers together. They mouthed quick ‘I love you’s before joining their group of friends in a group hug. 

The whole group, all seven, had been accepted at Seoul National University. They were planning on renting out three apartments next door to each other, one for each couple. 

Even though Jisung’s biological family wasn’t in the crowd, Jaehyun and Taeyong stood by Chenle’s parents with equally proud expressions. 

The group had made plans to travel that summer. They had formed trips to China for two weeks, and then to New Zealand for a week and a half. Everyone was more than excited. 

Jisung made promises to still go to Taeyong’s dance class every day and to go to the bakery at least once a week. (knowing chenle, they’d probably go more than once a week.) 

And as Jisung wrapped his arms around the love of his life, he knew that everything was falling into place. All because of Chenle. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so that's the final chapter! (over 3000 words!)   
> I'm gonna TRY my hardest to update Tutor Me at least once before school starts next week. Probably not tomorrow, I have an MRI, but maybe towards the weekend??? hopefully?   
> I hope you enjoyed this short au :)


End file.
